The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust is pleased to announce $133,750 in grants to local organizations for the first quarter of the year. Lisa Oliver, president & CEO of The Coop and chair of The Coop Foundation Board of Trustees, awarded grants to the following organizations at a reception held at the bank’s headquarters on Friday.
“It’s my distinct honor to award grants to these deserving organizations,” said Oliver. “In their own way, each provides vital resources that collectively we all benefit from. The new Patient Tower at Cape Cod Hospital, for example, is going to dramatically improve our healthcare system on the Cape. It’s an exciting development for our region.”
The Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation was awarded $100,000 for the new Patient Tower at Cape Cod Hospital. The six-story Patient Tower, now under construction, will reduce the need to travel to Boston for state-of-the-art healthcare. The tower will house two floors of cancer care, a new Intensive Care Unit adding 16 additional beds, cardiac services, acute care, and an Education Center and Harbor View Terrace for training and conference areas.
Community Connections, with locations in Yarmouth and Mashpee, received a grant of $5,000 towards expansion of their Life Skills Program. Since 1985, Community Connections has been providing life-enriching services that promote optimal independence for people with disabilities to enable them to live as independently as possible through day habilitation, life skills, employment opportunities, elder services, transportation and transition from school to adult life. The Life Skills programming includes budgeting, meal planning, computer skills and health and fitness, among other skills.
Falmouth Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS) received a grant of $3,750 to create and launch “The Student Toolkit for Success.” Falmouth VIPS began in 1982 as a way to increase interaction between the public schools and the community of Falmouth. The Student Toolkit for Success will build on several of their current successful programs, and add newly created programs that will engage students and instill awareness and understanding of concepts and skills that will be useful, practical, and relevant to their lives.
The Family Pantry of Cape Cod/Cape Cod Community College Family Pantry was awarded $10,000 to grow the food pantry at Cape Cod Community College. The Family Pantry of Cape Cod has been serving the people of the Lower Cape since 1989 and, in 2013, opened a satellite pantry on the campus of Cape Cod Community College. Last year, the 4Cs pantry distributed more than 17,000 pounds of food and saw a 65 percent increase in the number of clients. The pantry is utilized by students, staff, faculty, and parents of children at the on-site day care center – providing nutritious food catered to the mobile nature of clients, and essential health care items.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands was awarded $10,000 as part of a multi-year grant pledged by The Coop Foundation in 2019. BBBS is the only one-to-one youth serving mentoring organization in the area, and has been in operation on Cape Cod for forty-five years. They currently serve more than 300 kids in the community. The grant will help them continue to expand their programming and recruit much needed mentors.
Whelden Memorial Library received $5,000 out of an $8,000 matching grant to make vital repairs to the building, which sustained significant water damage from winter storms last year. The library is embarking on a campaign to make necessary updates to maintain the integrity of the building and continue to offer vital services to the community. The Coop Foundation is matching funds raised in the community to help restore the building and partnering with the Library to raise the remaining funds necessary for completing the repairs.
Launched in December 2018, The Coop Foundation awards grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that enhance quality of life through programs and initiatives that meet the fundamental needs of people in the communities the bank serves. For more information on the Foundation and how to apply for a grant, visit mycapecodbank.com/charitable-giving
